Robersonville

History

The earliest known residents of the Robersonville area were the Tuscarora and Morotock Native American people. According to various deeds, family bibles, wills, and church records, European settlers arrived many years before the Revolutionary War. One of the earliest known churches of the area was Flat Swamp Primitive Baptist Church, founded in 1776. Among the early settlers of this area was the family of Henry Robason, who is said to have been born in 1710 in England. Eventually the family name became "Roberson", and the family tree grew throughout the region. Before the Civil War, George O. Roberson and his father, William, owned a store originally located on the northwest corner of what are now Railroad and Roberson streets. The local militia trained at this store during the Civil War. After returning from the war, George built a store across the street from the original one. Another primary landowner in the area before the Civil War was W.D. Barnhill. According to records, he owned some four hundred acres to the south of what is present-day Robersonville. In 1859, he constructed a plantation house which came to be known as "Pinegrove" (not to be confused with Pine Grove Plantation in SC). It was constructed amongst the pine groves of what would later become Robersonville to help keep the house cool during harsh summers. The Barnhill family lived at Pinegrove for more than four generations until the house caught fire in the early 1900's. The great-grandson of W.D. Barnhill, Gray Barnhill, constructed a new house on the site of the previous plantation house in 1910. This Queen Anne style structure still exists today with the only remnant of the previous plantation house being an old chimney attached to the west side of the current house. When the town was…

Geography

Robersonville is in western Martin County at the intersection of U.S. Route 64 Alt and North Carolina Highway 903. US 64 Alt leads east to Williamston, the Martin county seat, and west to Bethel, while Highway 903 leads north to Hamilton and southwest to Greenville. The U.S. Route 64 freeway passes just north of the Robersonville town limits, with access from Highway 903. US 64 leads east to Williamston and west to Tarboro. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Robersonville has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity